The Gifted Touch
by Gemini Angel
Summary: Lavender Brown was a normal Gryffindor teenage girl--she had a boyfriend, a best friend, and pretty good grades. But now she's gone mad. Or has she? Could the voices in her head be caused by something other than daftness? Based on the book series 'Finger
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I don't own Fingerprints, which this is based on.

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Prologue: Voices…not my own…….They won't leave my head……

"Lav, are you coming or not?" Parvati demanded.

Lavender Brown carefully added the finishing touch to her astrological chart. The 4th years in divination had been assigned these charts, even though, with only three days left of school, they had already taken their exams. Professor Trelawney had wanted to make sure that they were prepared for whatever was coming in the summer. And Lavender had wanted to please her favorite teacher. 

"Lavender!" Parvati shouted impatiently. This earned her a stern look from Madame Pince, so she lowered her voice when she continued, "Please Lav! I'm hungry!" 

Lavender stood, pushed in her chair, and gathered her books. 

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/study/Gryffindor/charms/gonna flunk/exams/was dumped/

Lavender paused and blinked. Where had that come from? Those thoughts certainly weren't her own. She must have imagined it.

"Parv, what's the real reason you want to get to lunch?" Parvati usually wasn't this short-tempered, she wasn't exactly the most patient person in the world, but she normally didn't snap at people. 

Parvati blushed, proving that her insistence had underlying meanings. "Nothing! I'm hungry, so come on."

As the girls exited the library and made their way down to the Great Hall, Lavender's mind raced as she racked her brain for any memory of a reason why Parvati would be in such a hurry. Suddenly, it hit her.

"Parv!" she shouted, "You want to get one last look at those guys from Beauxbuttons, don't you?"

Parvati's blush returned. "Well, they were hott, weren't they?"

Lavender smiled. "Sure they were."

Parvati suddenly smirked. "Speaking of which, are you going to miss Seamus this summer?"

Lavender and Seamus had only recently begun going out, and Parvati already loved teasing her about it. She suspected that the teasing was fueled by a bit of jealousy, but she would never admit her suspicions to Parvati- they were best friends, she couldn't risk hurting her feelings.

Lavender finally answered, "Of course. I'm assuming you're going to miss your three Beauxbutton guys?" 

She reached out and opened the doors of the Great Hall-

**/hungry/finals/Cedric Diggory/a diet/asked out/**

There they were again! Those thoughts! She wasn't on a diet, and she wasn't hungry, so there absolutely no way they could be her own. She glanced at Parvati as they entered the Great Hall, but the other girl didn't seem to notice anything strange.

"Seamus," Lavender greeted the boy as she sat down next to him, "how are you?"

Seamus smiled. "Fine, how about you?"

Lavender opened her mouth to answer as she reached across the table to grab a sandwich from the platter-

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/calories/home/mum/House Cup/Dumbledore/

She dropped the sandwich stood up. There they were! Those voices again! 

Lavender could feel her throat stiffening as she choked out, "No! Leave me alone!"

Everyone sitting around her turned and stared. Great, just what she needed. Voices in her head and an audience.

Parvati, who had been scoping out the Beauxbuttons boys appeared at her side with a glass of water. "Here Lav, drink this and calm down."

Lavender took the glass-

**/Lav/spazzing out/**

-and dropped it. As it fell to the ground with a sickening crack, Lavender screamed, "No! No, no, no! Get out of my head! Stop it!"

The entire school and faculty of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as various members of Beauxbuttons and Durmstrang watched as Lavender jumped away from the cracked glass and grabbed a hold of the edge of the table for balance.

**/my brother/food/train/daft/your brother/**

That did it. Lavender let go of the table immediately and sprang away from it. Dean stood up, as did Dumbledore. People at other tables did as well, trying to get a good view of the scene taking place.

Lavender trembled as she shouted, "Leave me alone! Please! Beg you! My brother is dead! I'll never see him again! Just get away!" 

That was when everyone knew, when everyone realized, that Lavender Brown had gone mad.

Well? How was it? This was just the prologue, so the chapters will obviously be longer. But there might not be any chapters if I don't get any reviews…..hint hint.


	2. Chapter 1:The Return to Reality

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AN: I'm so sorry that its just being posted now! But I've been workign on high school applications and stuff. Anyways, here it is now.

Derkhen: Well, don't worry, there will be more chapters. I agree, there need to more stories about characters like Lavender, Parvati, Seamus, and the others. 

Nestrik: Noooooooooo! Please, Kirsten, stop with the Spanish! I'm not even sure what I should say in reply to your review, because I can't understand it!

Xela: Thanks Xe, better not let IT hear you saying that! (Sorry, private joke)

Chapter One: Return to Reality

Fifteen-year old Lavender Brown pushed her brown hair away from her violet eyes and looked out the window of her muggleborn father's car. Her mother, a pureblood witch, was seated in the front passenger seat. 

"Lav, hon, are you sure you want to do this?" Mrs. Brown asked, "Beauxbuttons doesn't start until next week, you could switch schools."

Lavender sighed. "Mum, I know, you've told me. I'll be fine."

She rested her elbow on the window button, accidentally opening it a bit. She quickly closed it-

**/Lav/nuthouse/Beauxbuttons/therapy/**

Her mother, whom had been a Beauxbuttons student up until her sixth year, when she had transferred to Hogwarts, wanted her to attend the school where she had first learned to fly, where she had first learned to charm her dirty blond hair to a lighter blond, where she had first learned to transfigure teapots into mittens, Lavender knew. Lavender was not at all blind to the fact that her mother was superficial, and at times, a snob. Still, Lavender knew that her mother was only trying to help her. Well, help her by sending her to a school where people would not stare at her because she had gone mental the year before. 

But Lavender didn't want to attend Beauxbuttons. She wanted to stay at Hogwarts, with Parvati, Seamus, and the other Gryffindors. 

Mr. Brown knew this and, as usual, came to his daughter's defense. "Dear, if Lavender wants to transfer, she'll owl us. There is no reason for people to be wary of her, the doctors said that she's fine now. Lav hasn't heard any voices for weeks."

Mrs. Brown frowned, but they arrived at the station at this time. Lavender jumped out of the car, slammed the door closed-

**/mental/transfer/reputation/Hogwarts/**

-and grabbed her trunk-

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/pack/robes/mental/stupid thoughts/Beauxbuttons/

Lavender knew that her father was wrong in saying that she hadn't heard any voices for weeks. She had merely told the doctors that so that she could get out of the nuthouse. There was still something wrong with her, but she wanted to put the weeks she spent in the mental hospital behind her and get on with her life.

After she hugged bid her mother ("Now, dear, if you want to transfer just give us a call…") and her father ("Don't listen to your mother, everything will be fine…") good-bye, she pushed through the barrier to the Hogwarts Express. 

Lavender pushed her trunk through the train, searching for a familiar face. As she reached out to push open the door to one of the last compartments, she heard part of a conversation between its inhabitants. 

"So you haven't heard from her _all_ summer?" asked a surprised voice. 

Lavender froze. It just might be…

"Wasn't she supposed to be, like, your best friend? And she hasn't even owled you? I mean, the nuts _are_ allowed to write letters, aren't they?" another, slightly higher voice chimed in.

"Well you see…" a voice that Lavender immediately recognized as Parvati's trailed off.

The first voice cut in, "That is just so…so…_rude_!" Lavender now recognized the speaker as Mandy Brocklehurst, a Ravenclaw friend of Padma's. Lavender and Mandy had never been best friends or anything, but they had always been at least _cordial_.

Parvati began again, "Look, give her a break. I mean…"

The high voice cut in with an airy tone, "Who _cares_ if she's mad? She should still write, shouldn't she? I mean, if she still knows how to, of course."

A voice very much like Parvati's, yet an octave or two softer spoke up, "Honestly, you guys, let Pav speak!" It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that the speaker was Padma.

Lavender, however, had had enough. She didn't want to hear what Parvati had to say about her. It could ruin their already dented friendship.

Lavender pushed open the door-

****

/Lav/freak/insane/please/why/Mungo's/

-just as Parvati began to speak, "Lav is…" Parvati stopped short at the sight of her best friend- although at this point Lavender wasn't sure the title was so appropriate.

"Hey, long time no see," Lavender said with a pasted-on smile and all of her old confidence. She flipped a strand of auburn hair out of her face. She then relaxed her posture slightly, as if she were as calm as she could possibly be.

It was all an act and everyone in the compartment knew it. Well, Hannah Abott, whom Lavender assumed was the owner of the high voice, probably didn't realize it. The Hufflepuff girl had long blond hair and a brain to match.

Parvati jumped and wrapped her arms around Lavender in a hug. "Lav! I missed you!" 

Lavender nodded and drew back. The hug had been very gentle, as if Parvati had been afraid that her best friend would break like a glass vase. And if she had missed her so much, why hadn't she come to see her more than once?

Padma, whom Lavender was closest to after Parvati, smiled brightly- too brightly- and fed Lavender a line that was so carefully, so intricately constructed, Lavender thought that _it_ might break. "She's right. We're all so glad you're back!"

Susan Bones, a sweet girl whom Lavender noticed had not spoken earlier, hugged her, just as delicately as Parvati had.

Lavender looked over Susan's shoulder to see Mandy Brocklehurst staring at her, a distasteful sneer twisting the raven-haired girl's face. Hannah, who was seated next to Mandy, was staring at her. A "not-here" exoression was stretched across her pretty features. 

Once Susan released her, Lavender sat down next to Parvati, trying her best to appear relaxed, yet seeming even more jumpy all the while. She glanced at Padma, and noticed a sparkling locket hanging from her neck. "That's a pretty locket, Padma. Where'd you get it?" she asked the girl.

Padma jubilantly launched into a description of a guy she had met over the summer. 

Although Lavender had initiated the conversation, she felt as if she was being left out from it. 

As she was pondering this thought, the flew open to reveal three familiar beings.


End file.
